FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez Urges Broadcasters to Resist Trump Pressure
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez urged the National Association of Broadcasters to confront efforts by the Trump administration to reshape the media into a sanctioned messenger.
Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Anna Gomez, the agency's sole Democratic member, has urged the National Association of Broadcasters to aggressively resist pressure from the Donald Trump administration ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. In a letter to NAB President Curtis LeGeyt, Gomez characterized the administration's actions as a "coordinated, government-wide effort to reshape the media into its sanctioned messenger."
The conflict centers on warnings from FCC Chair Brenden Carr, who claimed that broadcasters airing "entirely fake polls" could be violating regulatory obligations regarding news distortions and broadcast hoaxes. Gomez countered that the legal threshold for news distortion is high, requiring evidence that a broadcaster knowingly aired false information causing immediate harm to public safety or property. She asserted that reporting polls the administration dislikes does not meet these standards.
Recent FCC actions under Carr include an unprecedented early license review for eight Disney-owned ABC TV stations ordered in April, as well as a ruling that late-night and daytime talk shows are no longer exempt from equal-time rules for political candidate interviews. While Curtis LeGeyt stated the NAB will continue working with policymakers to protect broadcasters' rights, Gomez argued that the industry needs more than "tempered statements" to combat the use of licensing authority as leverage over election-year coverage.
